I had this argument with the CTO of a startup I worked for a while back. We had previous experience with a contractor that did great work, but charged the going

I had this argument with the CTO of a startup I worked for a while back. We had previous experience with a contractor that did great work, but charged the going rate for great work. We had a new job that required the same skill set, and the CTO wanted to shop around for a 'better value'. It blew my mind that he didn't see the previous guy as a good value. Instead he wanted to risk going with someone unknown, not the guy we knew did quality work. Luckily all of the development team was in agreement, and we convinced him that the guy actually was worth what he charged.